With respect to prior art of a method for three-dimensionally shaping the cloth, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,296,182 or U.S. Pat. No. 5,389,318 disclose the method for integrally shaping the cloth using reaction process of liquid foaming mixtures such as polyurethane foam. The method is comprised of pressurizingly integrally molding the polyurethane foam and the cloth by means of an upper metal mold and lower metal mold which have a desired three-dimensional configuration between when gasification reactions of the liquid foaming mixture has finished until the mixture substantially solidifies. As the foam completely goes into the solid state by being left in situ for a while, a three-dimensionally printed cloth of final desired pattern is finished. This conventional method for three-dimensionally molding the cloth has been widely applied to handbags or apparel items such as shirts, jeans, or jackets.
But these conventional methods have some drawbacks.
One of these disadvantages is that if a three-dimensional print is put onto the cloth such as a shirt by the conventional method, the foam body which is adhered to the back surface of the cloth directly contacts with user's skin, so that it causes a very uncomfortable feel to the user. Another disadvantage of the conventional method is that since the foam portion of the shirt molded by the conventional method is exposed to outside air, the surface of the foam body is quickly degraded by repeated laundering or by the ultraviolet rays from the sun.
Even if the back surface of the foam body portion is covered with fiber materials as described in the above references, such fiber materials are not enough to prevent sweat or rain from freely penetrating into the foam, so that the cloth discolors or the foam body portion gets heavier because of absorbing moisture.
Further, since the method of the above reference, wherein a liquid foaming mixture is deposited directly onto a non-adhesive polyethylene film, then they are integrally molded, and thereafter the polyethylene film is peeled away, uses polyethylene film which has poor expansion-and-contraction properties, it is necessary to replace the polyethylene film each time, which results in lower working efficiency and greater production cost.
It is, therefore, a object of the present invention to provide a three-dimensionally printed cloth molding and method that prevents the foam body from directly contacting with user's skin, that does not detract from the feel, and that keeps sweat or moisture from being absorbed by the foam body.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a three-dimensionally printed cloth molding and method that prevents the surface of the foam body from being degraded by repeated laundering or by the ultraviolet rays from the sun, thereby to improve its normal durability.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a three-dimensionally printed cloth molding and method that reduces production costs and improves throughput.